It’s fun to flip through seed catalogs and look at all the beautiful photographs of vegetables, but when it comes to choosing a particular variety, I’m often stumped. Which one will perform the best in my climate and soil conditions? Cornell University may just have the answer to that question with their citizen science project called Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners.
You can sign up for the research team and comment on and rate the performance of the vegetables you grow in your home garden. It only takes a few minutes to set up a profile. Or you can just peruse their ever-growing database (over 5600 listings so far) to find out what your fellow gardeners loved or hated.
There are reviews for over 75 different vegetable crops. The popular vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, corn and potatoes are well represented, but you can even find reviews for more obscure veggies like salsify, Tatsoi, purslane and mizuna.
I’ve found the database especially useful in helping me narrow the list of tomato varieties to try. With only a tiny area of full sun in my backyard, I need all the help I can get.